Deity Yoga: In Action and Performance Tantra (Wisdom of Tibet Series) [Paperback]

Dalai Lama (Author), Tsong-ka-pa (Author), Jeffrey Hopkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1987

Teaches the meditative techniques of Action and Performance Tantras--the basis of all higher tantric practices.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Tibetan (translation)

About the Author

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born to a peasant family in the Amdo region of northeastern Tibet in 1935, and was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. Today, he is considered the world's foremost Buddhist leader. The exiled spiritual head of the Tibetan people and a Nobel Peace Laureate is a remarkable Buddhist teacher and scholar. In addition, he has also become a global spiritual leader, whose commitment to peace and nonviolence has been widely recognized, and whose message of universal and individual responsibility has won worldwide admiration and acclaim. He travels extensively, speaking eloquently in favor of ecumenical understanding, kindness and compassion, respect for the environment, and, above all, world peace.

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Snow Lion Publications (January 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937938505
• ISBN-13: 978-0937938508
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for Dharma Practitioners, March 30, 2006

By 

Bokhara (Oklahoma City, OK) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Deity Yoga: In Action and Performance Tantra (Wisdom of Tibet Series) (Paperback)

The 3 books in this series provide clarity where little normally is to be found...in Tibetan Tantric teachings. HHDL does a splendid job in the first volume (A MUST read) to eliminate confusion on different methods of Tantric practice. In this second volume in the series he again adds his characteristic insight to Deity Yoga. I sincerely believe no one should enter Tantric practice until they read all three of the books in the series.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dense, difficult, delightful, August 7, 2009

By 

Kieran Fox (Alam al-Mithal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deity Yoga: In Action and Performance Tantra (Wisdom of Tibet Series) (Paperback)

Reading this book with even an inkling of understanding of what is actually being taught (which is all I can claim) gives the feeling of stumbling across teachings that simply were not meant for everybody.... it is frequently said in Buddhist circles that there are special teachings meant only to be passed on to worthy students by qualified gurus. I never thought before that practices could really be 'dangerous' without guidance -- but now that I've read this book.... well. As the other reviewer stated, it is quite clear, well-written/translated, and displays the profundity Tenzin Gyatso is capable of when he wants to be (vs. his many, MANY recent 'pop' Buddhism books which I have never found very enlightening). The reason for this information being made commercially available is explained in the first book in the series, "Tantra in Tibet" by the same authors/translator: there is so much nonsense and misinformation being published and taught about tantra-this and tantra-that that revealing absurdly advanced teachings to anyone and everyone seems (to the Dalai Lama) less harmful than allowing this free-for-all of revisionist Buddhist tantra from propagating unchecked any longer.

Beware: this book is dense, intense, not for beginners (of which I am one). The practices detailed here are enough to destabilize one's mind. Authoritative and mind-opening. For those who might be in Asia, I picked up the exact same book under a plain cover and the name "The Yoga of Tibet" here in India for a few dollars.... exact same contents, different cover/title for some reason.

4/5 stars only because perhaps these teachings aren't really meant to be just this easily available. And because despite being clear, the book is really not accessible to someone without a fairly significant background in Buddhist studies/practices. Otherwise excellent.